Aysha Akhtar, MD, MPHQuotations Archive From all-creatures.org

This Quotations Archive contains words from famous and some
not so famous people who have expressed a sense of love, compassion, and respect
for all of God's creation: for people, for animals, and for the environment.
They speak of our teaching methods and philosophy. They speak of a
lifestyle of non-violence. They seek to eliminate cruelty and
suffering. They seek to wake us up. They seek to give us hope.

"My motto has always been: by saving animals we save ourselves. Maybe that
sounds a bit pollyanish. But it's true in its utter simplicity. In virtually
every way in which we interact with animals as individuals or as a society,
when animals are treated with basic kindness and respect, we also benefit."

"Science is showing how other animals are like us in morally
relevant ways, but unlike us in medically relevant ways. Now that
we are proving that other animals are indeed sentient beings with complex
and rich emotional and cognitive lives, it's time for us to change our moral
view and demand a more just approach to our relationship with other animals.
The accumulating evidence mandates that we cannot continue to hide behind
the veil of science to justify our exploitation of other animals for medical
experiments."

"Every human life is now affected by the way we treat animals."

"It is time now for public health to continue its legacy of fighting for
the underdog and in turn improve the health of all. Itís time to include
animals as part of the 'public' in public health."

"In most cases where humans interact with animals, not only can we help
people without harming animals, but we can best help people by not harming
animals. Our treatment of animals is integral to many of the causes of and
potential solutions to some of the biggest human health threats we face
today. In other words, not only can we save the dog and the child, but in
order to save the child, we have to save the dog."

"A considerable amount of human suffering may be avoided if, rather than
asking ourselves how to thwart an epidemic once it has begun, we instead ask
ourselves whether we can prevent an epidemic by treating animals
differently."

"Despite the link between human health and animal welfare, animal welfare
issues have been, with few exceptions, notoriously absent from the public
health dialogue. When the subject of animals does enter discourse on human
health, it is usually to highlight how animals are sources of infection for
and cause injuries to humans. There has been almost no discourse, however,
about the fact that the way in which we treat other animals is
often central to how and why humans are injured or catch infections.
Moreover, such treatment is central to how and why we face a significant
number of health threats."

"By ignoring the suffering of animals, we create conditions that cause
our suffering. And rather than protecting us, our tax dollars are supporting
the very industries that are killing us."

"By simply choosing one plate of food over another, you will
single-handedly help prevent a pandemic. And, you will help protect the
environment. And, you will protect yourself from a stroke. And, you will
lose weight. And, you will save thousands of animals from a life of
suffering and a horrendous death. How often are you given an opportunity to
make such a profound impact with so little effort?"

"We have significant health threats before us. Our planet is perishing,
our bodies are breaking down, and pathogens are proliferating. But the
solution to these threats is not really a mystery. Itís been in front of us
every time we greet our animals. The solution is this: whatís good for
animals is good for us, too. By saving animals, we save ourselves."

"When we treat other animals with basic kindness and decency, there are
direct and indirect benefits to human health. When we treat animals poorly,
our health suffers. In other words, whatís good for other animals is also
whatís good for us."

"Any experiment, no matter how painful or how much suffering it causes in
animals, can be justified under the guise of 'science.'"

"Isn't it time we shake this habit of animal experimentation, take a
stand against this senseless suffering and pursue science that represents us
at our best? We don't have to choose between helping animals or humans and
we never did. And I say this as a medical doctor, neurologist and public
heath specialist: by ending the abuse of animals in experiments, not only do
we save them, but we will also discover the most effective research methods
that will save us."

"Animal experiments don't represent the pinnacle of scientific
achievement, but the basement. Unlike the naysayers, I believe that we are
capable of so much more. All we need is the courage, vision and
resourcefulness to make it happen."

"I have come to the conclusion that not only is animal experimentation
not good for animals, but itís also not good for humans. Because it is so
unreliable and fails to accurately predict human outcomes, experimentation
on animals needs to be replaced with better methods. Animal experimentation
is simply outdated."

"When people try to argue against ending animal experimentation, I ask
them this: where do you think our tax dollars should go? To the people who
say they canít do away with animal experimentation and find better methods
to study human illnesses? Or to the people who say they can and will? Do you
want your money spent on the pessimists or on the Steve Jobs in the world?
The latter are the folks who represent science at its best."

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